Saturday, March 3, 2012

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Emma's thoughts:

I knew I'd love this book the moment I'd heard of it. I fell in love with it at the end of chapter two.

It's like The Notebook all over again. And there's not even a movie on it. But boy, did I cry! It wasn't even just one scene where I had to stop reading, wipe my tears, and just remind myself these aren't actual people. No, there were at least two and a half moments. In the end, I had to let myself sob for a full minute, because.. why is the world just so goddamn unfair?! Of course, that'd be the stupidest question I've ever asked.

I do not claim to know much about cancer, I've not experienced it first hand, but it has left a huge, irreplaceable hole in my life. Hazel Grace's life is not one I can fully relate to, but her parents', Kaitlynn's, the little girl's? Yes. Cancer's a bitch and I used to delude myself into thinking that I'd become a great doctor one day and figure out the cure to it. However, I have finally come to the realization that I will never be quite that amazing and intelligent to uncover such answers... *sigh*

Okay, now, I truly do not know how I can express how much I absolutely adored each and every character in this book..! My gosh, I even loved the Dutch waiter with the stars! But words fail me... For starters, WHY DON'T SMART PEOPLE EXIST ANYMORE?! I mean no offense to anyone, but intelligent people are seriously lacking in my city. I want to meet John Green. For one who creates such witty characters that are practically mythical, he must be a genius himself. Of course, if I ever do happen to be graced with his presence, I'd be scared to open my mouth, in fear of disgusting him with my plainness.

But for now, I shall cradle my e-book and dream of my own flirtatious and confident Augustus. I'll tell you, the ONLY thing that put me slightly off TFiOS, is the nickname Gus. I absolutely detest the name Gus, but that's my unfortunate luck of knowing a rude adolescent named Gus.

I'd just love to be friends with Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac. As I turned each page, as I grew to love these characters, I became a part of them. I felt so comfortable reading about them. I felt like I knew them. And there is nothing better than feeling at home in a book. I could've known them forever, really. And hell, I want to know Augustus. Hazel wasn't the only one who fell in love with him. I did too. And it didn't even feel like a cute book boyfriend crush. But somewhere along the line, I started to believe that Augustus did really exist.

Augustus, will you be my Okay?

You'd think, even knowing the ending before starting this book, I'd be immune to the waterworks. But this is a rollercoaster. It went all ups and downs. And as horrid as it sounds, I laughed and cried! Tears of happiness and laughter whilst crying; it was the strangest thing. Because even in dire situations, there was always something spectacular that John Green added.

I could go on forever and ever about how much I absolutely adore and love this book. It's the perfect combinations of tears and laughter. It's bound to throw you off heights, snap your heart into miniscule pieces, and have you on sobbing tears of joy...or sadness? You figure it out.

An emotional journey that will make you feel alive, yet allow you to somewhat understand dying, and the side effects of it.

I recommend this to: Fans of witty banter, and anyone who loves a good cry.

Rating: 5 stars~ Tragically beautiful ♥

First:

Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.

Favourites:

So, I've had the hardest time trying to limit down my favourites to THREE, but who am I to ruin the story for you? Although, if I had the time and patience, I would read this book over and over again until I could recite John Green's touching words perfectly by heart, without hesitation.

"Thank you for explaining that my eye cancer isn't going to make me deaf. I feel so fortunate that an intellectual giant like yourself would deign to operate on me."

^ Meet Isaac. He's a little quirky but a fictional being I shall never forget.

"...I wondered if hurdlers ever thought, you know, This would go faster if we just got rid of the hurdles."

^ Thoughts like these, make me question the meanings of life. I like that.

"How did scrambled eggs get stuck with breakfast exclusivity? You can put bacon on a sandwich without anyone freaking out. But the moment your sandwich has an egg, boom, it's a breakfast sandwich."

^ I am PROUD to say that I had scrambled eggs at 3pm two weeks ago!

Teaser:

"Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you."

The Book Barbies is run by Racquel and Sharon. ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿ We love reviewing both YA & adult books, and our favorite genre happens to be historical romance. Visit our about page to learn more! We hope you enjoy our posts! ♥